Innovation Philosophy

Most innovation efforts fail because they are based on outdated approaches built on faulty beliefs. Efficient and repeatable innovation requires unconventional thinking. It must challenge the “more ideas is a good idea” philosophy. It must question the validity of “thinking outside the box.” It must move beyond ad hoc innovation to a sustainable capability. We have deep expertise in helping organizations like yours create a pervasive and repeatable culture of innovation.

Our work is based on moving your organization through three levels of innovation.

Level 1: Innovation as an Event: This is where most companies find themselves. They conduct brainstorming sessions or hold random contests to generate new ideas. If a good idea is produced, there is some value added to the organization. However, results are episodic and temporary rather than sustainable and pervasive.

Level 2: Innovation as a Capability: This is the next level of sophistication. The organization puts in place structures and processes to define problems, generate and evaluate solutions, and develop action plans to implement those solutions. The result is a realistic deliverable based on an organizational challenge or opportunity.

Level 3: Innovation as a System: The ultimate level involves creating an environment where innovation is embedded in everything you do. At both the event- and capability-driven levels, innovation tends to be reactionary and discrete. It is somewhat separate from the business. With embedded innovation, people not only innovate to deal with “problems or challenges” that are presented to them, but with everything they do. They continuously, even radically, improve their products, processes, and organization. This creates exponential and ongoing value.